A vehicle running by driving a running motor with power of a high-voltage battery generally has a control system which shuts off the high-voltage battery from other equipment by opening a system relay at the time of vehicle collision. However, even after shutting off the high-voltage battery, power (electric load) remains in a capacitor or the like provided in a power control unit including an inverter, a converter, and the like. Therefore, delayed discharging of the power remaining in the capacitor may cause leakage of electricity.
In view of such a problem, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2010-93934 (PTD 1) discloses a technology of allowing an air-conditioning motor to consume power remaining in a capacitor of an inverter at the time of vehicle collision.